Improved cae-coupling



M. F. GIBBS.

Car Coupling.

No. 65.373. v Patented June '4, 1867 WQZneHAs eJ v e/Z201 @nitnh gems jgflstrnt @ffirr.

M. F. GIBBS, 0F LIVONIA, NEW YORK.

Letters Patent 1V0. 65,373, dated June 4-, 1867.

IMPROVED GAR-COUPLING.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY-CONCERN: V

Be it known that I, M. F. GIBBS, of Livonia, in the county of Livingston, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Car-Oouplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings making part of this specification,- in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention applied to an ordinary draw-bar head.

Figure 2 is a top view of the same, a portion of the head H, and draw-bar B, as indicated by the red line a in fig. 1, being removed so as to expose the dropping device of the coupling-pin 1).

Like letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to that class of cai couplings culled automatic or self-acting, and it consists in providing a spring-bail or latch in such a manner as to sustain the link in the proper position to enter the approaching head, and as the heads meet the latch is thrown back under the head out of the way. It may be used in connection with any suitable selfiacting pin-dropper or trap.

To enable others to make and use my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

The ball 0 is hinged to the sides of the head H, as shown, and is provided with a central cam-shaped latch D. There is a spring, 3', in one side of the head H, (fig. 1,) which is made to press firmly against the flattened end of the ball, which should be broad enough to permit the pressure of the spring. to keep the latch in its present position'when thrown upward, and yet allow it to be forced down to the position of the dotted lines D by the approaching head of the oppositcfcar. Probably a bail applied to one draw-head of each car would be sutlicient, but if it should be desired to have one at each end the latch. should be placed to the right-hand side from the centre of the bail, instead of being eentral, as represented in fig. 2, in which case the latches would strike each other and allow the link to drop before the opposite head approached so as to receive it. When the opposite head is higher it approaches nearer before striking the latch, and if lower it strikes sooner, thus keeping the end of the link properly elevated, or sulliciently depressed to enter the approaching head, whether it is above or below the line. There may be a spring sliding bolt, 6, used with my invention, as shown, in fig. 2; or there may be a convolute spring in one side of the head provided with a projecting wing to reach under thepoint of the pin 17, to be swung back by the introduction of the link 7.1; or, if desired, there may be a double strap or V-shnped spring hung at its apex to the pin 2', audbe so arranged as to catch and hold the pin until pressed aside by the insertion of the link k. There are various other plans for automatic piredroppers, to any of which my invention is applicable,

The attendantinserts the link in the head, and swings the bail up in the position shown in fig. 1. The pin is then inserted in the opposite head, and when the link is driven in by the meeting of the draw-heads the pin becomes released and drops through the link.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters lnteni, is-

1. The hinged bail C, with its projecting cznn or latch l), in connection with the spring s, substantially as and for the purposes shown and described.

2. The combination of the said spring-bail C, and the latch, with the automatic pin-dropper, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

M. F. GIBBS. Witnesses i I W. S. CnAriN, Pn'rnn E. HOLT. 

